Footsteps
by ultranaff
Summary: Dimitri muses as he travels through Europe, with this strange woman called Anya and dear old Vlad.
1. The Journey

Dimitri's hair was long and cool like a muddy summer. His flesh was white and his eyes were matted brown orbs. When the young man was stressed, he did certain things unconsciously, such as comb his hair out of his face. When he spoke he was condescending and pushy and this drove Anya to her wits end, but Vlad was very fond of him nonetheless.

"My boy," the plump Russian spoke with fatherly sweetness, "must you stay up all night? Last night, too, you took no time to rest."

The candlelight flickered on a crate beside them. They were spending the night on the edge of Russia, close to its German border. As dusk had fallen Anya's feet had grown tired from the long trek and they had found an old inn in which to rest. But the upkeep of the establishment was poor and Dimitri doubted they could trust the staff and other patrons, leaving him to watch keenly over their possessions.

"It's fine." Dimitri's arms rested against bent knees. "I'm not tired."

"Must you be so stubborn?" Vlad chuckled, but then, knowing argument was futile in this instance, curled over for sleep.

Anya slept on the only bed in the room and Vlad on the floor beside her. Dimitri leaned against the wall, refusing still to shut his eyes. He found staying awake easy. When he lived on the damp rainy streets and underground gutters of St. Petersburg, he scrapped for food when possible and slept only during the day for safety. Life outside of the palace was much harsher than living in servitude within it. When he was of age he enlisted in the army immediately, escaping one desperate situation by fleeing to another.

Years later, after the fighting had ceased, at 20 years old, Dimitri met Vlad at a local tavern the two frequented. Upon discovering that they both used to work at the palace, they fell into easy conversation. During these enjoyable evenings, Dimitri began to see Vlad as a truly amicable character. He started anticipating their exchanges and their friendly games of chess.

"What do you do for work my boy?" asked Vlad one evening, once the acquaintances could begin to consider themselves friends. He had heard rumors of Dimitri's role as a con man and was now asking, carefully, for confirmation. Dimitri shrugged, chewing on a cigarette. "I do what I can."

That was when Vlad brought up the idea of hoaxing a Princess Anastasia. "Let's rent a space at the old theater," Dimitri suggested, "We could hold auditions there." Within a matter of weeks Dimitri had gotten the theater and rounded up some actresses. He was dexterous like that. Within months, he found himself on a voyage through Europe with a princess look-alike. Curious, but hopeful, he watched his path unwind before him.

"The Romanov Curse," bubbled out of Anya and broke Dimitri's thoughts. His brows rose in concern, but she quickly rolled over in her sleep.


	2. Stiff

**Stiff**

By the age of 20, Dimitri was already a jaded man. He'd been passed along and manhandled throughout his life.. By the time Vlad first met him, Dimitri was like a manifestation of his fallen Russia; the aftermath of a Communist state gone awry, hardened and cold.

They shared drinks and games of chess for hours at the local tavern. Dimitri always asked Vlad for tales of his life as an aristocrat in the palace and Vlad was always happy enough to deliver. "…but I would warn against romanticizing the past," Vlad once said in the midst of one story, "Perhaps it would be more productive to create a future that will bring just as happy days." Dimitri looked grim at the prospect.

But some months later, when Dimitri slapped down his hand of cards triumphantly in a game of Poker against Anya, he was laughing uninhibitedly. His eyes were lit up while she listed off all the numerous ways he was probably cheating. It was in these rare moments that Vlad felt he got the privilege of enjoying Dimitri at ease. He watched the pair play cards at a table across the tavern while he lay against the bar, sipping beer.


	3. A Gamble

**A Gamble**

The brightly lit tavern was brimming with people; the place full of sweat, drink, and motion; the racket surrounded Anya and Dimitri, who were too busy playing cards over a wooden barrel to notice. Dimitri was grinning. Anya, however, was irate.

"Do over!" She barked harshly.

He was unfazed by her outburst, having become more and more acquainted with her temper with each passing day of their journey together. Currently they were in a small Russian town bordering Germany. They were almost out of the 'shit hole'(as Dimitri had dubbed Russia on more than one occasion), and his mood was lightening by the hour. He'd been taking special glee out of annoying the redheaded, red-tempered, orphan that day by winning all her money in a game of poker.

You're just terrible at card games." Dimitri chuckled, scooping up mass quantity of coins. "Admit it."

"No, Dimitri! You cheated _and_ you took all my savings!"

Pooka was frantic and yapped profusely upon hearing his master's distress.

Dimitri's smile was patronizing. "No I didn't. I told you this game was a gamble - no game for young ladies to play."

"One more game, to win back my money," she said desperately.

"You must be joking. You've got nothing left to gamble!" A pause, a beat. A wry smile at the barking canine. "What about the dog? Can I dump him away if I win?"

Pooka immediately stopped barking. Anya's blue eyes fell jagged and her lip curled into a snarl. Her fingers itched to ring his neck and Dimitri felt a silent thrill when he realized this. To finally relieve her of having to weigh the pros and cons of killing him right there, he added, "Just kidding, of course."

When two officers walked by their table, all of Dimitri's joviality fell. He stiffened. His fingers flitted over the cards and money and then quietly pocketed them.

"Hey! You haven't won yet!" Anya claimed in outrage. He gave her a warning glare but it was too late, she had caught the officer's attention.

They looked first at her, and then at him. Their eyes widened in recognition. "Dimitri! Is that really you?"

"You little bastard!" the other said heartily.

"When did you get out of prison?"

Their glinting medals triggered a memory in Anya, of shadows running across palace walls and the sound of fire crackling. "Prison?"

Dimitri caught her eye only for a moment before refocusing back onto the two officers. They seemed friendly enough. A hint of amusement tinted their lips. He remained silent.

"Yes, we were the wardens on his cell block. For two years."

"I can't believe you're still alive, Dimitri", one of the officers said frankly. Dimitri stood without a word and began to move away from their makeshift table. One of the officers called after him as he exited the tavern, pulling Anya after him, but he made no sign that he'd heard.

Outside, the air was wet. Small water droplets dripped constantly from the buildings that hovered above them. Their surroundings were utterly gray.

Anya pulled on his sleeve. "Hey, slow down. You were in… prison?"

Dimitri could not be called thin, nor could he be called short; when he turned to her, he hovered over her by a couple of inches. He was a dark figure silhouetted against the mist and rain. Despite his intimidating stance a trace of a smirk on his lips was permanently fixed on his face, lessening the effect somewhat.

A tinge of fear ran through her as she realized she didn't know much at all about the pair she found herself traveling with.

Dimitri spoke softly, "I was in jail for a petty theft. I was released over a year ago. Got on with my life," he paused, and extended a handful of coins awkwardly, "And here's your money back. I was just fooling around."

He dropped the coins in her hand and she stared at them. When she lifted her eyes to him, she found herself wondering about Dimitri, feeling horribly unsettled about who this man in front of her really was.

But she could feel the gold's cool sensation against her skin. Decidedly, she closed her fingers around the coins, knowing the smartest thing to do right now was to walk alongside him, at least until they had gotten to Paris.

Dimitri's expression was relief when she finally nodded. He smiled at his faux-princess. The rain fell lightly under the twilight evening sky as they set back for their shared lodgings.


End file.
